Recap: Canes One Win From The Cup After Game 5 Victory

RALEIGH, N.C. - Highlighted by a pair of goals from Andrei Svechnikov and a three-assist showing from Nikolaj Ehlers, the Carolina Hurricanes toppled the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Thursday to take a 3-2 series lead in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.

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An early delay-of-game penalty cost the Canes as Vegas took the first lead at 6:52, but the hosts remained unfazed. Just under five minutes later, Jordan Staal found twine for the fifth straight game, deflecting Ehlers' feed from the blue line to send the teams to intermission deadlocked at one.

Second periods had been a struggle for the Canes in recent games, but with the game hanging in the balance as it rounded the midway mark, two of their top dogs stepped up to flip the script.

First, it was Svechnikov electrifying the Raleigh faithful with a power-play snipe through the legs of Carter Hart at 11:58. Six minutes later, it was Sebastian Aho's turn. Taking a Sean Walker seam pass off his skate, Aho quickly worked the puck to his stick for a top-shelf finish at the side of the net.

Svechnikov's man-advantage magic came through again in the third period, after a scintillating setup from Ehlers in the high slot left him all alone for a tap-in and Carolina's largest lead of the night.

Vegas' Pavel Dorofeyev tucked home his second of the contest to cut that advantage back to two shortly after Svechnikov's double, but Brandon Bussi and Co. kept their opponent off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Notching his second career playoff win in as many starts, Bussi finished with 23 saves on 25 shots.

Stats & Standouts

• Jordan Staal became the first player in more than 50 years to score in five straight Stanley Cup Final games, joining Yvan Cournoyer (5 GP in 1973 w/ MTL), Jean Beliveau (5 GP in 1956 w/ MTL), Maurice Richard (5 GP in 1951 w/ MTL) and Cyclone Taylor (5 GP in 1918 w/ VMI). No player has ever scored in six straight Cup Final contests.

• Staal tied Brad Marchand (6 goals in 2025 w/ FLA at age 37) for the most goals in a Stanley Cup Final by a player age 37 or older.

• Andrei Svechnikov scored his seventh and eighth career playoff power-play goals to tie Rod Brind'Amour and Seth Jarvis for the third-most in franchise history.

• Svechnikov is also the second player in Hurricanes history to score two power-play goals in one game in the Stanley Cup Final, joining Eric Staal (Game 5 of 2006 Final). 

• Posting his fifth career multi-goal playoff game, Svechnikov surpassed Kevin Dineen (4) for sole possession of second-most in franchise history. The list is led by Sebastian Aho (7).

• Nikolaj Ehlers became the 12th player in Stanley Cup Final history to record consecutive three-point games (10th in the past 103 years). Since 1923, only Wayne Gretzky (EDM, 1988) and Paul Coffey (EDM, 1985) have put up three straight games of three or more points.

• Ehlers (3-5—8) now leads all players with eight points this series, tying the franchise record for points in a single Stanley Cup Final – Eric Staal also had eight in 2006.

• Shayne Gostisbehere logged two assists and now boasts 12 points this postseason, surpassing Bret Hedican (2006) and Jaccob Slavin (2019) for the second-most by a Hurricanes/Whalers defenseman in a single playoff run. Only Frantisek Kaberle (13 - 2006) has more.

• Brandon Bussi posted 23 saves to become the first goaltender in NHL history to make his first two career playoff starts in the Stanley Cup Final and win both games.

• The Hurricanes became the second team in Stanley Cup Final history to score at least four goals in each of the first five games, joining the 1973 Canadiens (6 GP).

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour on the victory...

"I didn't think we had a great first period, that's for sure. But then we kind of got our game going. I didn't like a lot of the stuff we were doing at times, but I think Bus had a lot of poise. He looked pretty calm in there and obviously played a great game for us."

Nikolaj Ehlers discussing the two-goal second period, after Vegas had dominated second periods thus far this series...

"Our second periods up until today have been not good. Obviously, there were some things that we needed to change. I think today we were able to play a little more simple, making sure pucks were getting deep, and making sure we don't just change without looking behind you. I think that worked out pretty well."

Andrei Svechnikov after scoring two power play goals...

"I think we got to the simple things. The shooting mentality. Staalsy, the big horse just tipping pucks. We had a shooting mentality, looking for rebounds. I think we've got the chemistry going on."

Jordan Staal when asked about another goal-scoring performance...

“It feels great. It’s a good time to get hot. I’m trying to contribute any way I can and just win games. The puck’s been going in, and I’ll continue doing all the things I have to do to help win games.”

Brandon Bussi following a second win in as many starts...

"We like our game right now. It's fun to be a part of. We work hard, we sacrifice, we care about the guy next to each other. [It was] a good win tonight for us. We'll enjoy tonight, and tomorrow we move on to Game 6."

Sean Walker on being one win away from the Stanley Cup...

"It's pretty crazy. But, it's one win away. We'll just go into Vegas with the same mindset that we've had all playoffs, play our game, and hopefully get the result we want."

What's Next?

The Canes are scheduled to travel on Saturday ahead of Sunday's Game 6 in Vegas.

Next Game: Sunday, June 14 | SCF, Game 6 at Vegas | 8:00 p.m. ET | How To Watch | Watch Parties

Next Home Game (if necessary): Wednesday, June 17 | SCF, Game 7 vs. Vegas | 8:00 p.m. ET | How To Watch | Tickets | Parking